Voltage regulator discharge device



Dec. 13, 1966 YARMQVSKY 3,292,026

VOLTAGE REGULATOR DISCHARGE DEVICE Filed Dec. 7, 1962 71:}.3- /0 /2 m /2/0 /Z m g 22 INVENTOR.

gi MM Ji -4 ATTORNEYS MAX YAQMO VSKY United States Patent 3,292,026VOLTAGE REGULATOR DISCHARGE DEVICE Max Yarmovsky, Livingston, N.J.,assignor to Tung-Sol Electric Inc., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec.7, 1962, Ser. No. 243,123 4 Claims. (Cl. 313-1) This invention relatesto a voltage regulator discharge device for providing a stabilizedvoltage across its terminals. The invention has particular reference tothe disposition of the electrodes within a sealed envelope whichprevents contamination of the insulated portion of the envelope bycathodic sputtering due to the discharge. The invention also hasreference to a novel envelope shape which permits a nesting arrangementfor a plurality of devices when higher voltages are stabilized.

Voltage regulator devices are old in the art and have been used for sometime in voltage regulator circuits to provide a stabilized outputvoltage when either the supply voltage is varied or the load impedanceis changed. Prior tubes have generally been constructed with glassenvelopes and glass re-entrant stems and, after continued use, particlesof sputtered material deposit on portions of the insulator structure andcause leakage between the two electrodes. Also, when higher voltageswere used with prior art arrangements a plurality of separate voltageregulator tubes was necessary each having its own base fitting. Thepresent invention eliminates sputtered deposits on the insulatormaterial and provides a convenient means for cascading any number oftubes in a single unit which saves space and additional wiring.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an improved voltageregulator discharge device which avoids one or more of the disadvantagesand limitations of prior art regulators.

Another object of the invention is to provide a compact structure forvoltage regulator devices which can be joined one to another in anesting arrangement.

Another object of the invention is to confine the sputtering of solidmaterials within the tube to portions which will not cause leakage pathsbetween the two electrodes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a structure which permitscascading of a plurality of discharge devices in a single compactarrangement so that all the devices may be exhausted, processed, andsealed in a single operation.

The invention comprises an envelope which includes two metal end pieces,and a hollow cylindrical insulator which may be made of either glass orceramic material. Within the envelope an anode is positioned near thecenter of the tube and is supported by a hollow metal stem. The cathodeis secured to the other end of the tube and is arranged to cover theinside surface of the insulating cylinder. At the cathode end a tubularextension is provided for exhausting and sealing. This extension isarranged to nest within the hollow anode stem when two or more dischargedevices are connected in series. One feature of the invention includes ametallic ring secured to the outside of the cathode and substantiallyfilling the gap between the cathode and the insulating cylinder. Anotherfeature of the invention comprises a unitary arrangement of a pluralityof diode structures assembled prior to the exhausting and fillingoperations. In this alternate arrangement, provision is made forconnecting the discharge spaces so that all the devices can be exhaustedand filled at the same time.

For a better understanding of the present invention, together with otherand further objects thereof, reference is made to the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawing.

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of one form of the 3,292,926 PatentedDec. 13, 1966 invention showing the arrangement of the internal tubestructure.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the discharge device shown in FIG. 1and is taken along line 2-2 of that figure.

FIG. 3 is a side view of four of the discharge devices which have beensoldered together to form a unitary circuit component.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of an alternate form of the inventionshowing three discharge devices connected together before the exhaustingand filling operations.

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the regulator shown in FIG. 4 and istaken along line 55 of that figure.

FIG. 6 is another cross sectional view of the regulator shown in FIG. 4and is taken-along line 66 of that figure.

Referring now to the drawings, the discharge device shown in FIGS. 1, 2and 3, includes a first conductive terminal disc 10 and a secondconductive terminal disc 11 joined by a hollow cylindrical ceramicinsulator 12 which may be made of glass. The two discs are sealed to theinsulator and the joints between them are made airtight. In the centerof the first terminal disc 10 a tubular conduit 13 is secured. Thisconduit may be welded to the disc or soldered but in any case it is anair-tight joint. The tubular conduit is for connection to an exhaust andfilling apparatus which is well known in the art and need not bedescribed here in detail. After the exhaust and filling operations arecompleted the tubular conduit is collapsed by a clamp, thereby forming aseal 14 which is cut off from the exhaust apparatus.

Inside the envelope, a hollow cylindrical cathode 15 is mounted whichmay be secured to the first terminal disc 10 by a flanged disc 16 or byany other appropriate means. It should be noted that the cathode 15extends downwardly far enough to shield the inside surface of theinsulator 12. The anode 17 comprises a short cylinder on a hollowre-entrant cylindrical stem 18 which is secured to the second terminaldisc 11 by welding or soldering. The anode 17 is approximately at thecentral point within the cathode 15. In order to be sure that adischarge starts at a comparatively low voltage, a thin deposit ofradioactive material 20 is deposited on anode 17 as indicated in FIG. 1.

Cathode 15, as noted above, protects the inside surface of thecylindrical insulator 12. In order to further protect this surface ofthe insulator surface, a barrier ring 21 of nickel is secured to theoutside surface of cathode cylinder 15 and arranged to substantiallyfill the gap between the cathode and the insulator. The presence of thisring means that none of the ionized particles which may result from theelectrical discharge can pass from the discharge space up beyond thering and deposit on the surface of the insulator to form a leakage path.

The discharge device is first exhausted of all gases and, after someaging, a selected gas such as argon or neon is admitted into theenvelope at a predetermined pressure to form the basis of the electricaldischarge. In order to keep this gas in a purified state, a getter 22may be welded to the outside surface of the cathode cylinder. There isenough leakage of gas past barrier ring 21 so that any evolution ofconfined gas from the metallic structures will gradually be absorbed bythe getter material. The anode 17 may be secured to an axial stem 18 byany convenient means such as angles 23.

The operation of this device is the same as the operation of othervoltage regulator discharge devices which have been described in theliterature and which are well known.

Discharge devices of this type may be made to regulate the voltageacross the anode and cathode within the range of 105 volts to 150 voltsby varying the type of gas within the envelope and its pressure. If itis desired to regulate a voltage which is two, three, or four times oneof these values, a number of discharge devices as shown in FIG. 1 may beconnected together to form a high voltage unit. One such unit is shownin FIG. 3 where each discharge device includes a first terminal disc 10,a second terminal disc 11, and a cylindrical insulator 12. As indicatedin FIG. 1, the exhaust tu=bulation 13 and the seal 14 extend beyond theterminal disc 10 and form one terminal of the volt-age regulator diode.The other terminal of this array is the disc 11 on the extreme right andthis disc may be connected to a conductor 24 for connection to anexternal circuit. The discharge devices are nested together by insertingthe tubular seal 1314 into the re-entrant space 25 of the anode stern.After assembly, the discharge devices may be joined permanently bysoldering or brazing with a joint 26.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 show an alternate form of the invention which includesa similar terminal disc 30, intermediate discs 31, and a terminal disc32. The disc 30 is substantially the same as the first terminal disc 10shown in FIG. 1 and includes a tubular conduit 13 and a seal 14. Thecathodes 33 in this array have the same form as the cathodes 15 shown inFIG. 1 but they are secuerd to the cathode cap 30 by small stand-offbrackets 34, thereby providing a space between the top of the cathodesand the bottom surface of the cathode discs for the passage of gasduring the exhaust and filling operation. The anode cylinder 35 isformed with a central hole 36 also for the passage of gas during theexhausting and filling operations. The anode cylinders 35 are mounted inaxial alignment with intermediate discs 31, each having a central hole37. The intermediate discs 31 are conductive and are sealed to thecylindrical insulators 38 both above and below the plane which separatesthe two discharge devices. The usual conductive ring 21 and the getter22 are substantially the same as described above.

It is obvious that the array of discharge devices shown in FIGS. 4, 5and 6 may be exhausted and filled at the same time and that they willoperate in the same manner as a series of separately filled devices. Theprotection against cathodic sputtering is the same in both designs.

The foregoing disclosure and drawings are merely illustrative of theprinciples of this invention and are not to be interpreted in a limitingsense. The only limitations are to be determined by the scope of theappended claims.

I claim:

1. A voltage regulator discharge device comprising: a sealed envelopeenclosing a gas at reduced pressure, an anode, and a cathode; saidenvelope formed with a first terminal disc having a turned-over flange,a second terminal disc having a turned-over flange, and a hollowcylindrical insulator sealed between said flanges; a hollow cylindricalcathode connected to said first terminal and mounted adjacent to theinside surface of the insulator for shielding the insulator fromsputtering due to electrical discharges; an exhaust tubulation connectedto the center of said first terminal disc for exhausting and filling theenvelope; a re-entrant conductive stem connected to the center of thesecond terminal disc; a barrier ring positioned between the outsidesurface of the cathode cylinder and the inside surface of the insulatorfor blocking the flow of ionized particles; and an anode mounted insidethe cathode cylinder in axial alignment therewith and connected to thesecond terminal disc.

2. A voltage regulator as claimed in claim 1 wherein a quantity ofradioactive material is deposited on one of said electrodes for ionizingthe gas in the envelope.

3. A voltage regulator as claimed in claim 1 wherein a quantity ofgetter material is positioned on the outside surface of the cathode forabsorbing undesirable gases.

4. A plurality of voltage regulators as claimed in claim 1 wherein theexhaust tubulation of one regulator device is nested within there-entrant portion of the anode stem to provide a circuit componenthaving a higher voltage rating.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,878,341 9/1932Spencer 313 X 2,141,654 12/1938 Kott 313185 2,365,518 12/1944 Berkey eta1. 3l3l85 2,43 1,226 11/ 1947 Berkey et al 313-220 2,471,263 5/1949Depew 313185 X 2,887,614 5/1959 Lafferty 31536 3,087,092 4/1963 Lafferty3l3l88 X FOREIGN PATENTS 930,400 7/1955 Germany.

JAMES W. LAWRENCE, Primary Examiner.

P. C. DEMEO, Assistant Examiner.

1. A VOLTAGE REGULATOR DISCHARGE DEVICE COMPRISING: A SEALED ENVELOPEENCLOSING A GAS AT REDUCED PRESSURE, AN ANODE, AND A CATHODE; SAIDENVELOPE FORMED WITH A FIRST TERMINAL DISC HAVING A TURNED-OVER FLANGE,A SECOND TERMINAL DISC HAVING A TURNED-OVER FLANGE, A SECONDTERCYLINDRICAL INSULATOR SEALED BETWEEN SAID FLANGES; A HOLLOWCYLINDRICAL CATHODE CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST TERMINAL AND MOUNTEDADJACENT TO THE INSIDE SURFACE OFTHE INSULATOR FOR SHIELDING THEINSULATOR FOR SPUTTERING DUE TO ELECTRICAL DISCHARGES; AN EXHAUSTTUBULATION CONNECTED TO THE CENTER OF SAID FIRST TERMINAL DISC FOREXHAUSTING AND FILLING THE ENVELOPE; A RE-ENTRANT CONDUCTIVE STEMCONNECTED TO THE CENTER OF THE SECOND TERMINAL DISC; A BARRIER RINGPOSITIONED BETWEEN THE OUTSIDE SURFACE OF THE CATHODE CYLINDER AND THEINSIDE SURFACE OF THE INSULATOR FOR BLOCKING THE FLOW OF IONIZEDPARTICLES; AND AN ANODE MOUNTED INSIDE THE CATHODE CYLINDER IN AXIALALIGNMENT THEREWITH AND CONNECTED TO THE SECOND TERMINAL DISC.